On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, a United States citizen was convicted for having sex with a 12-year-old Jamaican girl after contacting the child’s father by telephone.
The St James Circuit Court found Robert Benoit guilty of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of consent. The incident occurred on December 23, 2020.
The jury only needed 102 minutes to arrive at a unanimous guilty verdict.
According to the prosecution, Benoit, who was 57 years old, went to pick up the child at home after speaking with her father on the telephone. When Benoit showed up, the child’s father instructed her to:
“Go spend the night with him and bring back the money.”
The child complied and left with the American. And reported that while she was asleep in his room, she felt someone on top of her.
According to the evidence presented in court, Benoit had sexual intercourse with the 12-year-old girl. And acting on a tip, the police arrived at the house the following day.
According to the police, they heard talking inside when they arrived at the house. And it took several minutes before Benoit opened. The child told the cop that Benoit was trying to hide her.
During a question and answer session, the child admitted that she had sex with the American.
The court will hand down the sentence on May 5, 2023.
As for the child’s father, the court has since convicted him of Child Care Protection Act breaches. He is currently serving time. However, the authorities have withheld his name to protect the child.